Before
by Kurogane Tsubasa
Summary: Nine-year-old Ganon knew his mom was crazy. Sane mothers did not name their child after the Calamity nor did they form a clan that would support it. Itching to leave, he finally gets his chance when a five year old Link stumbles into his life. Pre-BOTW, follows Ganon through his life up until the Calamity occurs. (Rewriting)
1. The Prologue

**A/N: This is set in BotW. Kinda a retelling that includes a Gerudo Ganon as well as Calamity Ganon. I think this story is going to be split into three acts. One: growing up with Ganon and his experiences, two: during the game, the after affect of Calamity Ganon rising 100 years later, and three: after the Calamity is defeated. That's the plan at least. This prologue is to explain the Gerudo race a bit more and to give you a bit of back story. Let's see how it goes, shall we?**

_(If you want the short version of the prologue, see the bottom in italics)_

_**The Prologue**_

The Gerudo were a warrior race that had their share of hardships, trials, and tribulations. Over the course of their history they have been hated, unwilling outcasts, and at several points in history, almost completely wiped out. But they were a stubborn race that refused to allow any hardship keep them down. Throughout the course of their generations, the Gerudo males tend to not survive past the first few years after birth so the mother's bodies adapted to only producing females, with a few males born on rare occasions, but only one typically surviving to adulthood every one hundred years or so. Because it was a rarity that the males live, every time one did survive, they became the Chief because they were extraordinarily powerful. There's a saying in the Gerudo village that the reason only one male survives in every generation was because the Gerudo would be too powerful if they had more males to help them fight. It's a bittersweet story.

At this point in the story, there had not been a Gerudo male for almost fifteen generations when Urbosa's mother became Chief. They were starting to think that they couldn't conceive males because their feminine genes were too strong and would over power any chance to give birth to a son. Their genes were stronger than the Hylian and any male born would die within a year of being born.

Now to fully understand the events that are going to happen in this story, there must be a backstory to explain how things came to be. Urbosa's mom, Kounako inherited the Chief title when she won the fight against her sister, Yiga, for the throne. Kounako was stronger, wiser, and a compassionate leader, but pity the fool who tested her wrath. Bitterness consumed Yiga, her pride smashed when she lost to her younger sister. Yiga grew up proud, vain, and arrogant because most of her life she assumed she would be leader as Kounako was five years younger than her. Since her loss, she released her anger and frustration by training and vanquising increasingly large hoards of monsters so soon she was the best warrior the Gerudo had sans Kounako. She rarely stayed in the village unable to let go of her resentment towards her sister, choosing to fighting monsters and those who dared to attack the Gerudo. Yiga loved the thrill of the hunt and wasn't afraid to take a hit to the head if it meant she'd win.

Many years later, after Kounako gave birth to Urbosa, who grew into a prodigy sixteen year old, Yiga lead a hunt in order to get away from her nagging sister as she was starting to become a danger to the other warriors because she didn't pay attention to her surroundings and had already caused the others to be injured on several occasions. On this hunt, she completely lost herself in the bloodlust and tore the monster apart, suffering dreadful wounds. A red haze clouded her vision as her mind screamed for more bloodshed and for the satisfying resistance of tearing flesh from bone. She attacked anything moving within her line of sight, revelling as blood splattered across her skin and the bodies dropping from her onslaught. The warriors accompanying her were horribly wounded with two guards having such grievous wounds that they succumbed to their lesions. They didn't expect one of their own to attack them and with the ferocity of which she attacked them. When Yiga came back to her senses she knew exile or execution waited for her if she returned to the village so she disappeared. Urbosa's mom was furious at the actions of her sister and saddened that she had to ban her from entering on Gerudo territory.

Two years later, Yiga returned and it showed that life had not been kind to her. She looked like she was becoming an animal herself as she attacked the warriors guarding the village. Urbosa was out, patrolling the area when Yiga attacked the clan, as she planned it. Yiga knew Urbosa was stronger and more talented than her, even if she was only eighteen years old, and Yiga was seeking warped revenge on her sister. Kounako was drawn out by the sounds of the battle and saw the Gerudo's keeping her back just barely in the plaza area. Yiga managed to break out and was about to attack one of the children when Kounako moved and fought her sister off. The fight that followed was bloody, vicious, and went down in history as the Gerudo's Shame. Yiga had managed to mortally wound her sister and was horribly wounded herself when Urbosa finally returned. Yiga disappeared as she had come for what she had accomplished, to kill her sister. Years of being alone had warped Yiga's perceptions, causing her to lose her grip on reality.

Yiga was found after the battle with Kounako by some Sheikah traitors that treated her wounds and she managed to endear herself to them. They described how they hated the fact they were being treated like they did something horrible by being intelligent and strong. They didn't like the fact that they had to hide that they were Sheikah. Yiga gets an idea at that point to warp their view in supporting Calamity Ganon. She makes him sound like he's going to be their savior and that he takes care of those who follow him and he wants to destroy the Hyrulians that have hurt and belittled them. He'll help them accomplish their goal. The Sheikah drink it up and decide to follow her, dubbing themselves the Yiga Clan. The group heals her and those that don't follow her, she beats into submission, showing her strength and feeds them stories about how Calamity always came from the Gerudo and one day he'll come back to lead them. She poisons them slowly into believing everything about the Calamity.

It's only cemented when two years later, Yiga gives birth to a boy. She names him Ganon and tells the others that he's their savior reincarnated and keeps him safe so he lives. She tells the Yiga clan that it's proof the Calamity heard them and decided to join them. She wasn't the best of mothers, being rough and after he lived his first couple years, began to train him into the type of warrior that would serve her purposes. Ganon was walking in the footsteps that all the other Ganon's followed. She lived separately from the Yiga Clan to raise him to be who she wanted him to be. She forced upon him all her training and his strength grew as did his cunning. During those years, Yiga began reconstruction in creating the Yiga Clan Hideout and giving them a place to gather. Because of this, she was gone often and Ganon was left alone in the house she'd build at the base of Satori mountain at Rutile Lake. Ganon's only influence was his mother and she was harsh with him as he grew up and he hated it. He built his own mental barriers and was relieved when she left as she usually left for a minimum of four days. Ganon was nine when he first met a five year old Link and this is where our story begins.

_Yiga is a Gerudo that is Urbosa's aunt. She's insane and was banished from the Gerudo tribe. She left, returned two years later to kill her sister (Urbosa's mother and current Cheif), succeeded and vanished. The Sheikah traitors found her and patched her up. She became the leader of them and further corrupted them to help the Calamity when he rose. She gave birth to a son named Ganon and has been training him for the past nine years. She was gone often to help construct the 'Yiga Hideout' and Ganon left to himself mostly. Ganon was nine when he first met a five year old Link, and this is where our story begins._


	2. Chapter 1: The Meeting

**A/N: Ages**

** Ganon: 9 **

**Link: 5**

Ganon huffed as his slingshot string broke from pulling too hard. He pulled out a spare string he carried around as he knew his frayed sting was old and would break soon. He set to fixing it and tested the new sting when he finished. Not as bendy as his last one, but with enough practice it should loosen up. He looked around as he relished being outside. Being inside the cabin suffocated him so he took every opportunity to escape outside when his mom made her frequent journeys to the 'Hideout'. He knew that she would be gone for at least three days so he had two more days to enjoy his freedom. A bush rustling to his left caused him to immediately set up his slingshot aimed in that direction. He let go of his pellet and was rewarded with a 'owch'. Blinking in shock, he watched as a small, blonde haired boy fell out of the bush and tumbled into the small clearing Ganon was in.

"That hurt." The kid mumbled as he rubbed his stomach. Ganon stared at the little boy in front of him, curiosity nagging at his mind. The little boy had light blond hair, bright sky blue eyes, and was as pale as milk. Well, not quite as white as milk, but definitely not as dark as his skin and the kid was short!

"What was that for?" Ganon snapped out of his musings and focused back on the blonde who was glaring at him. He glared back and responded,

"What was what for?" The boy huffed as he pointed to his stomach.

"You threw a rock at me!" He pouted, crossing his arms as he continued to sit on the ground.

"I didn't throw a rock at you, it was a pellet. And I thought it was a wild animal, not another human." Ganon also crossed his arms and glared down at the boy. Ganon watched as realization dawned on the kid that Ganon towered over him while he was on the ground and hurriedly stood up. Still short, but not as much.

"Why would you think I'm a wild animal? I was singing!" The boy set his hands on his hips like he was copying the action from someone else, likely his mother.

"Well I didn't hear any singing. And you're in the forest, it's guaranteed to have wild animals in here, it was a logical assumption." Ganon growled out.

"How did you not hear me! It wasn't like I was being that quiet! And stop using big words I don't know!" The boy shot back.

"I can talk however I want! Are you sure you weren't thinking the lyrics? Because I didn't hear any singing, only rustling of the bush." Ganon countered. The boy straightened up and opened his mouth before a contemplative look crossed his face and he looked down.

"Oh." Was his response.

"See? You weren't singing so I didn't hear you and thought you were an animal." Ganon felt triumphant at winning an argument. Usually when he argued with his mom, he lost or his mom wacked him around for speaking back at her.

"Well, my dad told me that I had to be quiet while I was in the woods. So I can't sing out loud like I usually would at home. I was following my father's instructions." The kid pouted as he defiantly looked away. Ganon rolled his eyes and readied a comeback when he noticed how the kid's muscles locked and his face drained to the exact color of milk. His eyes were wide and he shook as he continued to look away from Ganon. Ganon frowned and followed his gaze only to freeze himself as he gazed upon a boar stalking out of the bush. The boar looked like it just grew out of being a shoat (boarlet) and was entering into adolescence, slightly smaller than the Hylian, but still with sharp tusks. The creatures eyes were locked on the two of them and it crouched closer to the ground and snorted as it charged. Ganon's muscles locked, unable to move as he faced certain death charging at him.

A blur of blond hair and blue eyes rammed into him and moved him out of the way just in time for the boar to charge by. Ganon hit the ground, back first, and had the breath knocked out of him as the boy landed on top of him. He growled as he motioned to throw the boy off of him when he realized that the kid was gripping him and shaking. Bright scarlet covered his left arm and a wave of sickening realization threatened to overcome Ganon that the Hylian did not escape unscathed when he rammed him out of the boars' way. An enraged roar snapped his attention back to the boar and he saw the animal rip it's tusks out of the tree it'd impaled and turn back to face them.

Ganon snarled as disgust swarmed inside him at his pathetic actions for caused the smaller, weaker boy to save him. He grabbed the kid around his waist and stood up, holding the boy against him as he crouched slightly, placing his weight on the balls of his feet and tensed. The boar shook its head and growled as it charged again. Ganon slipped behind a tree and it couldn't slow down enough before it slammed into another tree. Ganon set the Hylian down and ran around the tree to jump on the boars back. The boar thrashed as Ganon struggled to hold on, realizing a little too late that this may have not been the best idea. Stupid adrenaline forcing him to make hasty decisions. He reached down to pull his knife out that was strapped to his thigh only to realize with horror that it somehow had gotten dislodged when the kid tackled him. Panic raced through his veins as the boar pulls it's tusks out of the tree. Ganon was thrown off and he leapt up, grabbed the boar by its tusk as it tries to shred him and managed to wrestle it on its side. He grabbed it by the neck and forcefully held it from behind to keep it on the ground. He panicked as the boar thrashed in his hold, knowing that he couldn't hold this young boar for long because his physical strength would fail before the boars would.

He heard a yell and flinched, startled when the boy rushed the boar and stabbed it in the ribs with his knife. The boar roared and jerked wildly out of Ganon's surprised grip, knocking the kid back and forcing him to drop Ganon's knife. Instantly Ganon grabbed the kid and cast him to the side, behind a tree out of immediate danger. He grabbed the knife and threw himself to the side when the boar charged at him. He rolled up from when he hit the ground and rushed towards the boar as it turned around. He tackled it, held it down, and before it can get out of his grasp, stabbed it in the side of its face. The boar squealed and nailed Ganon with it's hooves, causing him to lose his grip and gasped in pain. Both scrambled up and Ganon tensed up as he waited for the inevitable charge. The boar growled, but was interrupted as a fist sized rock slammed into its face. Ganon capitalized on the opportunity and sinked his knife into the one of the boar's eyes.

There was no squealing or thrashing for the boar when he killed it. It slumped and rolled a couple of feet as its momentum carried it that far, not to move any more then that ever again. Ganon stood for a little longer, making sure that the boar wouldn't move anymore before slumping to the ground, wincing as he jarred his battle wounds. He heard thudding of feet behind him and was in the middle of turning when the kid slammed into him. Both crashed into the ground, Ganon's breath leaving his body as pain tore through his body. He heard the kid whimper in pain as he jostled his own injury and gritted his teeth, resisting the overwhelming need to slap the kid over the head for causing them both unneeded pain.

"That was scary." The kid whispered as he clung to Ganon. Ganon found it hard to reply when the kid's weight aggravated his ribs.

"Get off." He growled.

"Oh, right." The kid crawled off of him and Ganon tentatively tried to breath deeper, testing his limits.

"You were amazing! I can't believe how strong and brave you are. You faced that monster like it was nothing! You even pinned it down! How did you get so strong?" Ganon tuned out the rest of the kid's questions and admiration, only catching that he said his name was Link and Ganon replied with his own name as Link continued to talk. Ganon's mind was focused on what to do with the boar itself as he breathed deeply and testing if he broke any ribs. He couldn't carry it home because his mom would know about his little excursions outside the house and she'd stay home to make sure he didn't go outside anymore. But he didn't want to leave all this perfectly good meat to waste away either. That and it might attract other predators to the forest which was something Ganon didn't need happening. Ganon looked at Link, watching him wave his hands around as he continued to speak, channeling the remainder of his adrenaline into his gestures and his voice. Sighing, he interrupted Link.

"You can take the boar." He said. Link blinked as he was interrupted unexpectedly.

"But you were the one to take it down. I didn't really do anything so shouldn't it go to you?" Link questioned.

"No, I don't want it. It's yours." Ganon spoke firmly.

"Well, if you don't mind." Link rose to tentatively grab the boar and could barely lift the boars head with his one good hand. Ganon watched him struggle for a little while before sighing again and rose. His ribs were definitely bruised, but didn't seem to be fractured or broken. He headed towards Link and grunted as he picked the boar up in the middle. Link looked at him in surprise.

"Well you're clearly not able to carry it so I'll carry it for you." Ganon explained.

"Oh! Thank you. My house isn't too far away." Link turned and began to lead the way to his house, Ganon following him.

"Mom and dad would like to have the meat. Dad was just telling mom how he was going to have to go hunting soon and this should delay him going hunting. Unless he decides to go anyway to get even more meat. But this boar is the size of me so it will give us plenty to last on. Hey do you-" Link cut off as he stopped moving and Ganon's instincts screamed he wasn't done fighting yet. He glanced around, wondering what Link saw when he noticed movement in the corner of his eye and paled as another boar, twice the size of the boar Ganon held, trudged out of a bush. Both boys were bruised and battered and weren't in the best condition to fight off another boar and terror flooded through their veins because Ganon could only barely hold down the baby boar. The bigger boar's roar shook the forest and it's thudding hooves rattled the ground. Ganon snapped out of his trace, quickly dropped the boar, grabbed Link, and leapt behind a thick tree, barely dodging the long, deadly tusks whipping past. Ganon's pulse hammered in his throat as he used his adrenaline to tossed Link up the tree.

"Grab the branches!" He yelled as he bolted towards another tree. Link grabbed onto one of the lower branches as Ganon scrambled to climb his own tree, barely dodging the tusks. The boar screamed in frustration at missing her prey and charged at Link's tree. He hadn't succeeded in climbing all the way on his branch when the boar rammed into it causing Link fell off the branch with a yelp and landed on the boar. Ganon yelled as he jumped from his tree, rolled when he hit the floor, ignored the pain that flared in his ribs and legs, dashing towards Link. The boar tore her tusks out of the tree and rounded on Link as Ganon plunged his knife in her side and ripped into her horizontally. She squealed in pain and Ganon managed to grab the back of Link's shirt and shove him behind him.

"Where's your parents house?" He half-yelled, shaking from the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"That way." Link pointed to their right and Ganon grabbed Link as he bolted in that direction. He heard the boar squeal before the thudding of hooves behind him, creeping closer as they ran. He weaved between the trees and stopped behind a thicker tree. The boar charged past, used a tree to stop her momentum and charged back at Ganon. He had no time to dodge and motioned to toss Link out of harm's way when he heard a deep snarl and something golden slammed into the boar right before she gutted him. He clutched Link closer to him as he watched a huge golden wolf tear into the boar. The wolf was slightly bigger than the boar herself and dominated the fight between them. Ganon could only watch as the wolf took down the boar and attacked its neck, ending her life after a short battle. The wolf straightened and looked back at Link and Ganon. Ganon froze as he offhandedly noticed that the wolf wasn't actually golden, but a honey blond that looked golden in the sunlight. The wolf walked closer to them, blood staining it's jaw and Ganon snapped out of it, shoved Link behind his back, and held out his shaking knife in a weak display of protection. The wolf paused, gently woofed at them, turned around, picked up his kill, and walked off, disappearing between the trees. Ganon froze, unsure how to take that development as he was positive that both of them were going to die a few seconds ago.

"That's the Guardian Wolf." Link whispered behind him.

"The what?" Ganon frowned as he slowly straightened, waiting for the wolf to change his mind and attack them.

"The Guardian Wolf. It's said that the wolf has been prowling about these woods for centuries or even longer and protects the travelers in here from threats. My parents say that catching sight of the wolf is a huge blessing and actually getting protected by it means that we're destined for great things. He protects those whose time has not yet come to die and he'll come again to see them when it is time for their great adventure. It's also said that he'll teach you how to fight and defend yourself. This is the first time I've seen him." Link explained in awe.

"How do you know that he was the Guardian Wolf? He could have been another wolf wandering around in this area and decided that boar would be a tasty treat?" Ganon questioned as he walked back to where he had dropped the young boar, keeping a wary eye out for any more viscous wildlife.

"Because all the stories say that the guardian is a golden wolf that is bigger than the average wolf and is about the size of a boar. And that he doesn't attack those he protects." Link exclaimed. Ganon didn't reply as he found the boar and picked it up.

"I see. Lead the way. I only know the vague direction to your house." Ganon said as he turned around to face Link.

"Oh right. This way. I can't wait to tell mom and dad what happened today. I think they'll like you. You're amazing and strong and brave and the Guardian Wolf protected both of us. That means we'll be going on a grand adventure and travel all over Hyrule. The last person who saw the wolf and learned from him was the Hero who saved Hyrule from the Calamity. Only he wasn't known as the Calamity then, but by a different name that got lost in time." Ganon listened to Link's chatter and wondered what sort of parents Link's guardians were. He spoke highly of them and didn't seem cringe about going home, he even seemed excited. Were Link's parents different from his mom? He wasn't sure how he felt about meeting another adult but before he could change his mind, they entered into a clearing with a house where a Hylian woman and man stood talking to each other. Both paused as they saw movement from the corner of their eyes and looked to face Ganon and Link.

"Mom! Dad! I brought a friend over! He's super brave and strong and brave. He saved me from a boar! Oh, we also met the Guardian Wolf. It helped us out when we were attacked by another boar that was even bigger than this one and the wolf left us unharmed!" Ganon noticed the way their eyes widened at the blood covering their son and his so-called friend. Ganon didn't remember telling Link they were friends but the thought was pushed aside as he tentatively waited to see how Link's parents would react to his presence.

**A/N: So that's that. Please tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 2: The Parents

**A/N: I don't own Legend of Zelda**

Shock and horror covered Link's parents' faces as they rushed towards Link and Ganon.

"Link! What happened?" His mother fretted as she knelt next to him, not touching him until she knew where he was hurt.

"Mama you won't believe what happened to me. I was wandering in the forest, being quiet like you told me to be, Papa, when I ran into Ganon here. He hit me with a rock because he thought I was a wild animal and his aim was so cool and it hit me right in the stomach! And then there was a boar and we fought it and Ganon held it down and we killed it. Look at it Papa! Now you don't have to go hunting for a little while longer. But that's not even the best part! There was another boar that was huge! It was waaay bigger than this one and it almost got us when the Guardian Wolf saves us! It jumped out like HYAH! and saved us. And it didn't eat us! So we're going to grow up and be someone important and go on a journey and save the world! Just like the other hero that saved Hyrule!" Link motioned around wildly and was rewarded with searing pain in his left arm. Both adults had startled at Ganon's name and glanced at him surprised, causing him to stiffen.

"Little one, what happened to your arm?" His dad asked as he examined the wound.

"I was a hero! This boar got me, but then Ganon saved me and defeated it and he even said that we could have it so he carried it all the way here. He's super strong and he reminds me of you Papa." Link let his parents examine his wound and stood still while his mom rushed inside and brought out bandages and medicine to clean the wound.

"Is that so little one? Thank goodness he was here to protect you." Ganon stiffened as Link's dad looked at him, curiosity and a smidgen of caution in his gaze. He forced his head to remain up and meet Link's Papa's gaze to not show the fear coursing through him as he set the boar down. Ganon had it beaten into him that showing any fear would be the same as throwing his life away.

"Well thank you young one for saving our son. He's a bit reckless but very courageous which lands him in some sticky situations and it's reassuring to know there was someone looking out for him today." Link's Mama smiled tenderly at him and Ganon straightened, expecting a plot or test of some kind. His mother never smiled at him and when she did, she was doing it to catch him off guard and beat another 'lesson' into him. He nodded at Mama, still not saying anything, hoping he was passing the test and she wouldn't sneer at him and beat him for failing. Slight confusion passed over Mama's face, but her attention was back on Link as he bounced and pointed at Ganon.

"Mama he's hurt too. The boar kicked him! And I could have taken care of myself if I was alone. I'm super fast and the boar wouldn't have been able to catch me!" Link exclaimed.

"I'm sure you may have been fine but it's good that he was there to protect you. Did you say thank you?" Papa asked as Mama moved to check on Ganon.

"Oh right. Thank you Ganon! You're the best and I want to be as strong as you when I grow up!"

"I thought you wanted to be as strong as me when you grow up." Papa mock pouted as he ruffled Link's hair.

"I want to be as strong as both of you! Actually I want to be even stronger than you. I'm going to get so strong that I can protect both of you!" Link stood in a determined stance as he nodded his head. Ganon tuned out their conversation as he focused on Mama.

"I'm fine. I don't need anything." He said as he shuffled backwards, away from Mama.

"Would you let me look? Please, you may have broken or fractured one of your ribs." Mama insisted, but stopped moving.

"Nothing's broken. Or fractured. It's only bruised and there's nothing you can do for bruised ribs except wait for them to heal." Ganon shook his head, internally wincing at the inevitability of his mother finding him injured and punishing him for leaving the house.

"Well if it's only bruised, then there is something we can do about it." Mama told him as she smiled. Ganon watched warily, half expecting her to hit him in the ribs. Mama turned away from him and walked to the edge of the clearing and he saw her pull out a harp, gently strum a couple cords.

"Oh you're so lucky! Mama is calling to the fairies! Papa said they're not going to do that for me every time I get scrapped so I will learn my lesson and not wander too far from home. I hope she calls two of them so they can heal you and me." Link popped up beside Ganon, causing him to flinch and curse for not being aware of his surroundings.

"Now young man, those are words we do not speak in this house. I understand you were startled, but please, none of that here," Papa stood on Ganon's other side, "And was Link correct in telling me that you were giving this fine piece of meat to us?"

"Yes sir. I can't take it home so I gave it to Link." Ganon nodded, after swallowing another surprised curse at Papa's sudden appearance.

"Well that's mighty kind of you. And here I was about to go hunting. Thank Hylia for your impeccable timing." Papa smiled down at him, confusing Ganon who looked away.

"Papa, what does impeccable mean?" Link questioned.

"It means he has very good timing and he came when we needed him too." Papa explained.

"Oh. Look! Mama called the fairies and she's bringing two of them!" Link gasped in excitement.

"Yes I did. I thought since you helped Ganon, it would serve to have your wound mostly healed as well," Mama told them as she first brought a amber fairy to Ganon, "Now honey, all you have to do is stand still. You may feel itchy and a slight burning, but that means the fairy is doing her work so make sure to stand still alright?"

"Yes ma'am." Ganon nodded, still unsure if this was a test to see if he'd refuse the fairy. But his mother always said to be in the best shape he can be in, even if it means taking from others to survive and causing them to suffer. Ganon tensed as the fairy circled around him before focusing in front of him and placing her tiny hands on his stomach. An indescribable feeling entered him from his stomach and he felt his muscles spas as they loosened and the persistent ache faded. When he could feel no more pain, the fairy removed her hands and floated up near his head, gently touching the back of his ear. Once more, the foreign feeling spread through his head and made him feel lightheaded. He forced himself to stay still as his vision, hearing, and smelling sharpened. The fairy removed her hands and once more circled Ganon as the lightheadedness faded. She landed on his feet and Ganon felt his cracked soles mend together and the wound gifted to him by his mother during training was no more than a scar when the fairy stopped and circled him one more time. She nodded and settled on his shoulder, gently touching his neck. Ganon waited for the strange feeling to accompany her touch and when it didn't, he looked at her and saw her gazing back at him, tilting her head.

"I don't believe it. You are one lucky young man." Papa shook his head in disbelief.

"This is a monumental day. First you are saved by the Guardian Wolf and now you have befriended a fairy without doing anything. You are something special and you're going to accomplish great things. Just a word of warning, you can do evil and still accomplish great things, terrible great things. Both the Guardian Wolf and the fairies are signs of protection, righteousness, and virtue. Which do you want to be known for, terrible great things or wonderful great things. It's only up to you to decide." Mama gently warned him, causing him to blink in surprise, as she gave darkish blue fairy to Link. The fairy circled Link and gently touched his arm, causing Link to squirm as his wound healed. She rose and touched Link's forehead with her own as Link stopped moving and the smile slipped off his face. He blinked several times before the fairy circled him one more time and flew off. He watched her go with a wistful look on his face, much to the confusion of his parents and Ganon.

"Link, honey. Are you alright?" Mama questioned as she approached him. Link stared at her with a far away look on his face before he shook his head and looked down.

"She can't be with me right now, but she says she'll be there when I need her and then she can stay with me." Link mumbled.

"She said- You mean you heard her speak?" Papa asked. Link looked up, frowning at his papa.

"Of course. She healed me, said she'd be back and left. Didn't you hear her say that?" Mama and Papa looked at each other in shock.

"She didn't say anything that I could hear. Maybe she whispered it to you so no one else could hear it." Ganon spoke up, careful not to move too much with a fairy on his shoulder.

"That makes sense. Did your fairy not talk to you?" Link questioned as he smiled again and bounced up to Ganon, looking at his fairy.

"Not that I heard. Just a weird sensation when she healed me."

"I felt that too! I tried really hard not to move but I couldn't! She was tickling me!" Link laughed and Ganon relaxed, not realizing he had tensed when Link's smile vanished. He glanced at Mama and Papa and their faces belied their confusion and anxiety.

"Do you know what this means?" Ganon asked Mama and Papa, looking beyond Link. Link turned around and his parents were struck by how different the two boys were. One was a tall, dark skinned male Gerudo with amber eyes, who supported a stern, intense gaze and the other was short, pale Hylian with sky blue eyes, who had a look of innocence and charm about him. One looked like he had a rough life that doesn't seem to be full of love and the other was well loved and given the necessities of life with a mellow childhood. Two incredibly different people whose fates seem to intertwine.

"Well, we do know some legends that seem to be more myth than fact. There are tales of past heroes who rose up against a great evil and defeated them, gaining peace for the land of Hyrule. There are several of these stories but I learned of four in particular that are more speculation. There is one of before Hyrule was created and the goddess, Hylia, was ruling over the earth and filling it with all the good things, bring peace to all the land. But there was a fixture that opened the Underworld that has been called by many names. The Twilight Realm, Lorule, the Dark World, and a few others. No one knows the real name of the place, but it has been universally called the Underworld. The Bringer of Death appeared through this fixture and wielded a terrible sword that is rumored to possess a will of its own." Mama began.

"Possess a will of its own?" Link questioned.

"It means it took a shape of a man and would walk around and make its own decisions." Papa explained. Link nodded as he turned back towards Mama.

"He let loose monsters that burned the forests, choked the natural springs and murdered as they pleased. They wanted the ultimate power that Hylia protected, the triforce, created by the old goddess's that would grant any desire into reality. The Hylian's fled in terror at this new threat and the Sheikah helped defend and protect them as they fled, risking their lives to save Hylia's chosen people. Hylia saw all that was happening and gathered the Hylians on a great rock, as big as the Great Plateau and lifted it into the skies, beyond the clouds. With the humans safe, she joined forces with those that chose to stay behind and managed to seal the Bringer of Death and his minions with her chosen champion, the First Hero, and brought peace back to the surface. But before they sealed the Bringer of Death, they were losing and it seemed like they would not win. The evil one caused a mortal wound on the goddess and she was succumbing to her wounds. Her champion was Hylian and had stayed behind to help Hylia defeat the evil one because he had already lost everyone and everything precious to him, sans Hylia, whom he respected above all else. When Hylia was given the mortal wound, it was said that he became like a god himself, wielding a double helix sword and pouring all of his rage into his battle with the evil one. They fought for days, wearing each other out, until the hero made the final blow and the goddess sealed him away in the Sealed Grounds. The evil one cursed the hero to suffer great torment before he was sealed away and the hero's dying wish was for Hylia to use the last of her power to seal him away because he had used the last of his strength against the Bringer of Death and couldn't hold off the curse. Hylia agreed and formed masks of her hero to capture and easier hid the evil. The masks have been lost with time and no one knows where they lay. Hylia became mortal to be reincarnated when there was evil that needed to be purified by her again, bringing back the three goddesses we know today." Mama explained. Papa picked up where she left off.

"The second hero was in the sky and lived there with the other Hylian's and they befriended Loftwings, a parting gift from Hylia, to soar above the skies and make it their home. This Hero of the Sky found the Sword that seals the darkness, the Master Sword, and refines it to what we know of it today. He went through trial and tribulation, exploring the surface, battling monsters, and is even said to go back in time to defeat the Bringer of Death himself after he got sealed. He was cursed by the Imprisoned to be in a cycle of hatred with the goddess Hylia and himself, to always be struggling for power and control. The Bringer of Death is the reason there is the Calamity and why we are preparing to fight against the incarnated hatred of the evil one. It is said that the Sky Hero fought against the Imprisoned Sword that had a will of its own, but was heavily bound to the evil one and did his bidding. At least, that's how the story goes." Papa shrugged.

"The third hero is more myth. There is a tale that claims there was a Hero of Time that traversed through time to defeat the evil one because he was a child when the Gerudo King tried to take over Hyrule castle. The master thief was thwarted by the soldiers, led by the sheikah, Impa, and was hung for his crimes. But there is another telling that claims there was another hero who became the royal guard for princess Zelda at the time. He was said to go into the future and stopped the Gerudo King by releasing the spirits of either five or seven sages and used their help to seal the King back and after that, was returned to his own time when he was a child and used his knowledge to give Impa what she needed to defeat the King of evil. Not much is known about the personal knight of the princess except he was skilled with the sword, gave advice to the princess, and no one could best him in any fight. It's also said that he traveled to a distant land called Termina and defeated an evil there." Mama said.

"And the last one, the Twilight Hero. Again, not much is known about him because it's said that when Twilight covered the land, he was invisible to the human eye and did most of his work in there. There is a tale that he could change into an animal, a wolf if I'm remembering correctly and that's the reason he didn't become a spirit when Twilight covered Hyrule. There was said to be a fire-haired imp that was seen with him and many have speculated that she was a Gerudo child, but others say she was not of this world and is from a parallel world, one that caused the Twilight to cover the land. The Twilight was released from the land, but a diamond shaped imprisonment was cast around Hyrule castle and all we know is he entered into the castle, broke it somehow, and everything returned to normal. It's also said that he traveled to the sky where the Sky Hero once lived but how he did that is a mystery." Papa wrapped up. Ganon and Link were staring at them with stars in their eyes, awed by the tales of the Hero's.

"But how did they do all those things? It must have been hard for them." Link whispered in shock. Ganon physically forced control back in his features and looked away as he asked,

"What does that have to do with us?"

"It is said that each Hero had a companion. The First Hero's sword was said to be a sentiment being that was transformed into the masks with him. The Sky Hero's sword was also sentiment and she gave him direction and guided him to where he needed to go. The Hero of Time had a fairy and a giant bird that gave him direction when he needed it. And lastly the Twilight Hero had the Guardian Wolf and an unknown imp to guide him when he needed the help. Some speculate that the First Hero guided the Sky Hero through his sword, the Sky Hero guided the Hero of Time in the form of a bird, and the Hero of Time guided the Twilight Hero in the form of the Guardian Wolf. For both the Guardian Wolf and a fairy to appear and chose you both means that the Calamity is going to rise and both of you have some part to play in the upcoming battle. For good or for evil, the decisions you make will influence this war and determine how it plays out," Mama sighed, "Or at least that's how it seems. It could be coincidence, but who knows." Ganon frowned at the ground, not sure how to take this news, not having heard it from his mother.

"So I'm going to be a hero?" Link asked, eyes wide and shining.

"You'll always be a hero to us little one." Papa said as he ruffled his boy's hair.

"The hero is always Hylian, the bad guys is always a male Gerudo." Ganon mumbled, straightening himself, mentally berating himself for a moment of weakness.

"Not always. There have been tales that something outside the Gerudo's control has caused them to act the way they do like an enchanted piece of jewelry or the annihilation of their tribe. History paints them as horrible people, but I think that it wasn't always in their control with how they reacted. They did have the triforce of power which is said to enhance their physical strength and influence their darkest desires. The triforce of power is a gift of the goddess Din and she was known as a warrior which the Gerudo race is a warrior race so it seems correct that a Gerudo would have her power." Mama said.

"Mama, what's a Gerudo?" Link inquired as he tugged on her shirt.

"They are a warrior race mostly made of woman. The Gerudo female gene is strong so it's rare for a male to be born. It's said that there is only one male survives and lives to adulthood every one hundred years but there hasn't been any record of a male Gerudo in hundreds of years. About 10,000 years in fact so it was thought there would be no more male Gerudo. The fact that there is one if front of us right now is something of a miracle. Most of the Gerudo's name the surviving male Gerudo Ganon because it means 'strong' and 'surviver' in their language." Papa explained.

"But all Gerudo males are born to war against the Hylians and to bring justice to the Gerudo race." Ganon spoke up, staring challenging into Papa's eyes. Papa stared back and Ganon pushed back his fear and uncertainty to put up a strong front.

"Who told you that?" Papa asked softly. Ganon clenched his jaws and refused to answer.

"Gerudo males are not born solely for the purpose of war against the Hylians. They have caused war in the first place for their people who were starving in the desert and needed help. The Hylian king sometimes refused to help them and other times the Gerudo's got greedy and wanted more. But now they don't have to worry about that because they have trading rights with Hyrule and are apart of Hyrule. There would be no reason for war against Hyrule." Mama told him.

"But all the male Gerudo's have fought against Hyrule and are inherently evil. It's in their blood to cause chaos and destruction." Ganon fought back. Mama and Papa stared at him, trying to find out why he was fighting for this, insisting male Gerudo's were the bane of Hyrule's existence.

"There have been male Gerudo's that have helped fight for Hyrule by exposing corrupted kings and queens by bringing back the rightful queen and king. Male Gerudo's have helped Hyrule expand and flourish. They have caused chaos and destruction to help topple a corrupt reign and bring the true Queen Zelda back into power. Not all chaos and destruction is bad, it just has a bad reputation about it." Papa explained gently.

"That doesn't make sense. She's told me that I was born to bring down Hyrule and was it's rightful king. Why would she lie to me all my life about that?" Ganon gritted his teeth as his hands clenched.

"It's true that most of Hyrule has heard stories that male Gerudo's were born to try and overthrow Hyrule and most believe it but I have researched at the castle achieves and found out the truth about the Gerudo's." Papa told him.

"And why would you be let into the castle? Only important people can be let into the castle." Ganon refuted.

"Papa was the General of Knights. He was in charge of protecting the king and the queen!" Link exclaimed, grasping onto a part of the conversation he understood.

"That's true. I defended them with my life and almost lost my life protecting them from bandits on a road that was supposed to be safe. They gave me an honorable discharge because when my wounds healed, I wouldn't be able to wield a sword like I used to. I was grievously injured and they let me retire years before I would have. Now I get to spend all my time with my lovely wife and lively son." Papa explained. Ganon said nothing, having no way to refute it.

"I have to go and get back to the house before I'm missed." Ganon picked up the boar and handed it to Papa, refusing to meet his gaze and running through the forest, back to his house, his fairy still on his shoulder.

"Wait we didn't have time to play!" Link made to run after Ganon, but was stopped by his Papa grabbing his arm.

"Let him go son. I think we shook up his world and he's unsure on how to process it. Let him sort it out."

"Will he come back?" Link questioned.

"I hope so son," Papa patted his shoulder before turning around, "Now let your old man show you how to skin and clean a boar."


	4. Chapter 3: Ganon's Choice

Ganon raced through the forest, his fairy flying behind him after being jostled off his shoulder. A whirlwind of emotion warred in his mind as he tried to process all the information Link's parents cast on him. Before he knew it, he was in the back of his house and he climbed in through a secret passageway he'd built under the house and removed the panel from the wall to climb back into his room. He shed his clothes and scrubbed his skin, silently marveled that his bruises weren't anywhere to be seen. His fairy floated above him, flitting here and there. He burned his bloodied clothes and anything that hinted at his excursion outside, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. When he ran out of things to do, he was forced to sit down and think about the possibility that everything his mother has been teaching him has been wrong. His mind raced with thoughts, possabilities, and uncertainty. He knew that his mother was not going to show up for another day and a half at least so he wouldn't have her to distract himself. Plus he didn't want to talk to his mother about his thoughts because she'd find some way to punish him. Ganon closed his eyes, rubbing his face as his thoughts circled and circled. A soft touch to his forehead brought him out of his swirling thoughts and a tinkling voice caused him to open his eyes.

"Please tell me what's bothering you." Blinking his eyes, he went cross eyed to see his fairy touching her forehead to his.

"Uhh." Was all he managed, trying to grasp that his fairy was talking to him.

"You're troubled and talking about it usually helps to settle the mind." She continued, moving away from his face and flying in front of him.

"You can talk." Ganon said as he stared at her.

"Yes indeed I can. My name is Tatl and I have a brother named Tael who is still keeping Skull Kid company. But I have been called to assist you and I will do my best to help you in any way I can." Tatl told him.

"I see." Ganon did not see. He was confused, wondering who Skull Kid was and who called on her to help him.

"So please, tell me what is on your mind." Tatl queried.

"Many things. Um," Ganon thought before responding, "What did you do to my head? My senses seemed to sharpen after you touched behind my ear." Tatl stilled, not expecting his first question to be that.

"Well, fairies have the ability to know what is wrong with those they have to heal. They can sense where needs to be healed, if they have enough power to heal completely, and even know if the inside of someone needs healing. For example, when I circled you, I was casting out my power to show me where you needed to be healed. I found your stomach area to be the worst and so I healed it first. Then I knew something inside your head was unbalanced and part of your brain was damaged from blunt trauma. When your brain is damaged, you start to act different, can have migrans, become more viscous, it can mess with your senses, those types of things. It was a relatively recent wound so it didn't take much healing and a wound like that would gradually worsen so you wouldn't notice it affecting your person. You didn't notice the dimming of your senses until I healed it and brought it back." Tatl explained.

"Something was wrong with my head? Could it be caused by having your head slammed by a wooden sword and thrown into a tree?" Ganon asked.

"Yes that could definitely cause that. Did this happen to you?" Tatl inquired.

"It happened a couple weeks ago when mother was training me," Ganon shrugged, "Is it true what Link's Papa said? That not all Ganon's were evil?"

"Let me tell you that I have been around for hundreds of years. Granted I was asleep for a good part of that but from what I have seen and heard, yes it's true. I actually worked and helped one of the Hero's Link's Mama talked about. He was known as the Hero of Time and he helped save Telmera from Majora. Well, we thought it was Skull Kid at the time because Majora was using him but details. The Hero of Time talked a little bit about his time in Hyrule, he really did save them and traveled seven years in the future to defeat the Gerudo King, and he became friends with the Gerudo King's second in command, Nabooru. He said that Nabooru didn't recognize the Gerudo King when he came back from Hyrule; it was like he had a personality switch and was obsessed with ruling Hyrule when he had gone there to establish trading routes into the desert. She thinks it had something to do with the jewelry the twin witches, Koume and Kotake, gifted him." Tatl stated.

"Would they even have those sort of powers? And did those witches have power in the Gerudo?" Ganon probed.

"They were the Gerudo King's teachers, having been Gerudo themselves once. They tried to instill a hatred of the Hylians in him, but he was a rebel and was more curious than hostile towards them. He had Nabooru to help him escape from the twins and she knew him better than she knew herself. He was a gentle soul that loved nature and wanted what was best for the Gerudo. He sought out the Hylian king to trade and make life easier for his people so the wouldn't die as much out in the desert. Those witches were powerful, having been around for around three hundred years before the Hero of Time bested them in combat and were very influential in the Gerudo Fortress." Tatl explained.

"Really? I was told that he was a powerful demon that no one could stop and the only reason the Sheikah managed was because she snuck up on him and took him by surprise by her clans secrets." Ganan said.

"He wasn't that powerful, but he was one of the strongest man alive at the time." Tatl agreed.

"Is it true about the Hero's? That they saved the world from evil?" Ganon asked.

"Well, I don't know about all of them because I am a relatively young fairy and was born just before Skull Kid lost his four friends and fairies sleep for long periods of time when they use their powers too much. We have Great Fairy, but they have to be sustained through others and when they're not, they sleep as well. Us little fairies can draw from their power, but sometimes it's not enough. So I was awake for the Hero of Time, but not for the others. I believe that the stories are true and there were Heroes at those times, but from what I've learned with my own Hero is they like to work behind the scenes and after they defeat the bad guy, they are too humble to seek recognition and fame." Tatl explained.

"Is the reason you chose me because you were called to help me?" Ganon questioned.

"Yes and no. I wasn't so much called as asked to help you from a friend. And he asked me to see if you were in need of help and worth the time to help. I decided that you were." Tatl stated.

"Oh. How can you talk? I've heard that the Great Fairies can talk, but I've never heard of a smaller fairy talk."

"That's because I'm not really talking. You can hear me in your head, but no one else will be able to hear me. Only if you want me to talk to others, then I would be able to, or if others had a fairy." Tatl explained.

"Is that why you touched my forehead?"

"Yes it is. Any more questions?"

"Um, who sent you to help me?" Ganon asked.

"Well, I can't say who right now, but you will find out later. He did ask me to not reveal who he was, but don't worry. He's one of the best people I know." Tatl soothed Ganon at his suspicious look.

"One more question. Is it true that the Calamity came in the form of a Gerudo male 10,000 years ago?"

"He was more beast than human. He was one of the Ganon's that fully embraced the Imprisoned curse and let his malice consume him. He's the reason the Sheikah built in secret the Divine Beasts and the Guardians because they knew of him and that he was going to release his full might sooner rather than later. When the princess and her Champions sealed away the Calamity, they sealed the Gerudo as well. I've heard that's why there have been no male Gerudo for the next 10,000 years because he's still alive. But here you are so that can't be true. You're free to have your own choices and forge your own story." Tatl concluded.

Ganon was silent for the rest of the day as he thought of the reasons Tatl had given him, Link's parents explanation of the Gerudo and how he was destined for great things, and all the teachings his mother gave him. He went to bed conflicted and confused, not knowing what to believe. The next day was similar to yesterday with Ganon being confused and going over every detail in his mind about the day before. He asked if Tatl ate, she explained fairies didn't need food or water to survive, and he only talked when he had an occasional question. He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard his mother walk towards the locked door and instantly shoved Tatl under his pillow and instinctively straightened when Yiga walked in. He cleared his mind and examined his mother to find out her mood.

"Hello Ganon. I see you've been feeding yourself." Yiga commented as she put away her belongings.

"Hello mother. I've been keeping up my strength to be prepared for anything." Ganon's sixth sense screamed at him to duck and he barely managed to dodge a punch to the face as he crouched and blocked a kick to his ribs. The momentum forced him back and he grabbed a wooden sword placed by his bed and switched to a stance of defense.

"Decent. You're getting better at evading." Yiga complimented as she grabbed her own wooden sword and swung it at Ganon. He barely kept up with her wild, harsh swings and received a beastly grin at his efforts. She amped up her technique and Ganon was covered in bruises, cuts, and had a black eye by the time she deemed him 'trained'.

"You haven't improved enough. You should have been able to handle my hits. Do you know how much I hold back when I fight you? If I were an enemy, I would have killed you with no problem. This is how our enemies fight." Ganon didn't have time to lift his wooden sword before he was flung across the house and tumbled outside. He could see where his mother was as she showed him her true strength and speed, whipping him like a rag doll, but he was unable to get his body to respond fast enough to block her hits. He laid in a bruised and bloodied heap when she finished.

"You need more training. At the end of the week, I'll be leaving to go to the Hideout so I need to beat into you faster reflexes. For now take care of yourself, I need to go hunting." With those words, she left. Ganon groaned as he slowly crawled up into a sitting position. Tatl flew out of the house and hovered around him.

"What kind of greeting was that? Why did she beat you up for no reason? Are you okay? Let me heal you so you're not in as much pain." Tatl started to circle him but was stopped by Ganon.

"No don't heal me. She'll know something up and if she finds you, she'll kill you. She does that to make me stronger and hone my reflexes saying if I don't want to feel the pain, then get stronger faster. It's working, I could see her every move this time, but was too slow to prevent her from harming me." Ganon slowly rose up and limped his way back into the house.

"That's wrong of her. There are other ways to train someone's reflexes besides beating them senseless." Tatl fretted as she followed.

"It may be wrong but it works. Besides, she'll be gone in a couple days." Ganon mumbled as he bandaged himself up.

"Ganon, do you really think this is how a mother should treat her child?" Tatl asked. Ganon paused in his wrapping before continuing.

"It doesn't matter. She's the only mother I got."

"But what if you had a Mama?" Tatl questioned, carefully watching his expression.

"I said it doesn't matter. If mother found out I was outside and made friends, she'd kill them because she doesn't want them to influence me with something she doesn't approve of."

"And what if she didn't know?" Ganon finished bandaging himself and turned to look at Tatl.

"She'll know. She's smart and will figure it out."

"Well that's a shame. I have a feeling that Mama would be a good influence on you if you'd let her be. Papa and Link as well. They seem to be great friends."

"Maybe. Don't let mother see you. You should hide in the forest if you want to stay alive. Mother has an uncanny ability of finding out my secrets, I'm surprised she hasn't mentioned me being outside." Ganon cleaned up and shooed Tatl out of the house to hide before his mother came back. For the rest of the week, Ganon had to endure beating after beating and was slowly starting to build up his reflexes so he could block one or two of her strikes. Yiga was not pleased with his progression and made it known by pushing him harder than she's ever done before. By the time the end of the week came, Ganon was sore in every part of his body.

"Keep working on your reflexes, I'll be testing them when I get back." Yiga mentioned as she locked the door and left. Tatl appeared through an open window when she left and begged,

"Please let me heal some of your wounds so you won't have as much trouble walking around." Ganon agreed, not liking how sore he was.

"The only good thing about this is my reflexes are getting better but it is painful." Ganon complained, gently rubbing his ribs, "She forgot to leave me food. I'm going to have to ration."

"You could do that, or you could go to Link's house and see if Papa will teach you how to hunt so you could do it on your own." Tatl suggested as she healed his fractured ribs and hairline fractures in his arms.

"Go back there? No way." Ganon snorted.

"Why not? From when I've seen, you mother doesn't seem to be the best role model and she's teaching you to be powerful and ruthless, like the Calamity. She wants you to be exactly like him and follow her lead so you can be her little puppet. And I gathered all that from the few days I had to observe her. Do you want to be like the other Ganon's? I'd advise going to Link's house and observing how Link's parents are, even if it means spying on them so they don't put up an act in front of you." Tatl said, lifting her hands from his arms and flitting to his face.

"I should spy on them? It can be stealth training by making sure they don't catch me. Good idea Tatl." Ganon rose, thankful for her healing powers and escaped out of his secret exit. Tatl flew behind him, feeling the oppressive air that hung on him vanish the further he got from his house.

"You should approach more quietly if you don't want them to know you're there. Remember Papa was a royal knight and he's been trained to know when there are threats." Tatl cautioned.

"Right." Ganon slowed down and crouched slightly, engaging all his muscles and constantly surveying his surroundings for twigs, dead leaves, and loose rocks. He heard Mama calling out to Link and Papa to come inside for lunch as they wrestled outside. A chorus of "Yes Ma'am." replied and Ganon saw Papa lift Link up and brush him off.

"We're going to practice sword fighting after lunch little one." Papa held his hand as they walked back to the house. Ganon noticed his limp and how one shoulder was inches higher than the other.

"Yes! I love practicing it! I'm gonna be so good and I'll be able to defeat you and protect you both. And Ganon. Do you think Ganon is going to come today to play?" Link questioned. Ganon's focus sharpened, observing the side profile of Papa.

"I don't know little one. I hope so. You could use a friend." A small smile played on Papa's lips as they entered the house. Ganon blinked, wondering why he would be considered a friend to someone he had met once. He used their absence to climb up behind a big boulder that shaded him and gave him full view of their small clearing and rubbed dirt in his hair to dull the color and on his skin to help him blend to his surroundings. He relaxed his muscles and lay still, practicing hiding as his mother taught him. Minutes passed and he told Tatl to hid so they didn't spot her when they came back outside. Link and his Papa walked outside carrying decent size wooden swords and Ganon watched as Papa showed Link how to swing correctly and how to have the best stance for balance. Papa gave light taps with his sword, adjusting Link's stance and his swing. When he had him practice four different swings a hundred times, they got in a readied stance and Ganon observed the difference in how Papa taught and how his mother taught. Papa would lightly whack Link in his gaping defense, enough to sting and remind Link to defend that area, but not enough to bruise or only lightly bruise. Papa spoke as they fought, giving Link advise, but never giving him the upper hand or senselessly beating him up. He hit Link to teach him a valuable lesson, but never to show how much stronger he was. Ganon concluded Papa was going easy on Link, only to have mental whiplash when Link called out for a break and Papa denied him, telling him to push through. Ganon expected the real beating to happen now, but Papa upped the level slightly to push Link past his comfort zone. When Link tripped, sweating and out of breath, Papa lightly tapped him on the head, declaring that he won.

"I only tripped! I could have still gotten up." Link defended as he struggled to his feet.

"Little one, do you know what would have happened if I had a real sword?" Papa questioned, lowering himself to Link's height. Link pouted, looking away.

"I would have been fast enough in raising my sword." He insisted.

"No, all those places I hit you that are sore would be bleeding and I would have impaled your skull if I had a real sword. Do you remember when you dropped a knife on your foot?" Papa quieres.

"Yeah it hurt!" Link nodded, looking back at his Papa.

"Swords are sharper than that so you know how it went right through your foot? A sword would go straight through your skull. And what is your skull protecting?"

"My brain, the powerhouse of my body." Link spoke like he was reciting something he's heard before.

"That's right. And what happens if the brain is forcefully shut off?"

"I stop living."

"Good. Now let's get you washed up and make sure to stretch your muscles out. Tell you mother I'm going to check on the traps." Papa ruffled Links hair as he ran past him to inform his Mama. Papa turned and walked into the forest and Ganon quickly made to follow, to see where the traps were and if Papa would notice him. He followed him quite a distance before Papa stopped and turned around.

"Ganon I know you're there. Why don't you come out so we can talk?" Ganon froze behind the rock where he was hiding and cast a wild-eyed glance at Tatl. She shrugged and flew out in the opening, causing Ganon to sag because if Tatl was there then he couldn't play it off that he wasn't there. He slowly walked out from behind the boulder and was preparing himself to face Papa's ire. He saw Papa looking at him with an amused smile and couldn't be more confused. If mother found him when he was training with her, she'd beat him senseless to 'help' him learn from his mistakes.

"Now why were you observing our house and not coming in?" Papa asked. Ganon's eyes widened in surprise at being caught that early.

"How did you know?" Ganon inquired, slowly spreading his feet in case he needed to fight or flee.

"When you've been in the royal guard for as long as I have been in then you pick up a few things here and there. One of the things I picked up was knowing when someone was watching me, for good or bad intent. You had to be something special to be picked to guard the king and queen of Hyrule. So why didn't you join Link and myself?" Papa questioned.

"I was practicing." Ganon spoke, learning from his mother to never tell the whole truth, but give them enough to believe there was nothing else.

"Practicing what?" Papa's eyes crinkled, belaying his amusement.

"Spying."

"Well congratulations. You were excellent at spying. It took me a while to find out where you were hiding and it was only because my five senses are still as sharp as they were when I was a royal guard. Too bad my body can't keep us with my mind," Papa sighed, "Ganon, if you want to join us you can. We'll welcome you with open arms and I could teach you like I'm teaching Link. It would be a great addition to your skills." Ganon thought it over.

"And you may learn faster so your mother doesn't beat you up and you'll be learning without the pain you mother inflicts on you." Tatl whispered in his ear.

"You'll teach me to fight?" Ganon asked.

"I can teach you basic sword movements and how to train your body to see where you are. If I think you're up for learning more advanced techniques, then I will teach them to you." Papa confirmed.

"Okay. I want to learn." Ganon desired to get the upper hand on his mother and being taught by someone who was the royal guard at one point was an excellent place to start. Plus he'd come to respect the old guard who spoke softly, but carried a warrior's spirit that could rival his mother's.


	5. Chapter 4: Yiga's Revenge

**A/N: I don't own Legend of Zelda**

The months pass and Ganon formed a routine. He waited for his mother to leave, which she was doing more often to help with the Hideout and it's completion, and then he visited Link, Mama, and Papa. Six months passed by and Ganon could safely say that he adored his adopted family. Link was a loud, but caring brother, Papa had taught him the way of the sword and refined his archery and spear skills, and Mama had surprised him the most. Gentleness and kindness coated her like a mantle, but she had no problem putting anyone in their place. There was a time when Papa was visiting a horse stable to trade goods, leaving Link and Ganon outside to mock fight. A red moblin strayed into the forest, drawn by the sounds of their fighting. It had come upon them without them realizing and Ganon suffered a deep gash in his arm for throwing himself over Link to protect him. Mama heard the commotion and rushed outside with her cooking ladle. Once she saw a moblin was threatening her two children, Ganon beheld a change come over her. Being about five to six months pregnant with Link's sister or brother didn't stop her from throwing her ladle directly in the moblin's eye. As the monster roared in pain and anger, she grabbed the bow Papa had been using to show Link how to shoot, fit an arrow in the string, pulled back, and nailed the monster through the same eye she'd hit with the ladle. The monster froze, before disappearing in a puff of purple malice, dropping the foreign substances that were used to create it from the Underworld. Mama shuffled over to her two boys and saw that Tatl was already working on healing Ganon's wound, which while deep, was thin. Tatl would have to heal it a second time to completely heal the injury, but she was able to close most of the wound and Mama wrapped it up to prevent any infection from entering the scab until Tatl could heal him again.

Ganon followed her around for several weeks after that, eyes sparkling until Mama explained that she learned hidden skills from the Sheikah tribe and trained with them when she was younger. Repulsion covered Ganon's face when Mama mentioned them, thinking they were the ones in league with Yiga, but as Mama explained her experiences, Ganon concluded that the Sheikah tribe must have split into two divisions, one that supported the Calamity and hated Hylians and the others still worked with the Hylians in defeating the Calamity. They have already started digging up the ancient machines that the princess and Hero used 10,000 years ago. When Papa returned, he was told of the accident that happened and gave Mama a slightly stern look.

"You didn't stress yourself too much did you?" He questioned. Mama rolled her eyes at him.

"No dearest, I didn't. I threw my ladle at it and shot it with an arrow. I didn't jump around and use any fancy footwork to defeat it." Mama smiled, exasperated at Papa.

"Just making sure Buttercup." Papa gently kissed her temple, helping to set the table as she finished cooking dinner. Realization dawned on Ganon on how twisted his mother was with her ideals and treatment of him. She wanted him to become one of the monsters that dreamed of destruction and annihilating anyone or anything that got in his way. Ganon adored his new family, but didn't dare to tell them about his mother or how she treated him. He had a feeling Mama and Papa would physically fight her off, but mother would continue persistently to get him back, even resorting to burning their house down and killing them so Ganon couldn't return to them. He didn't want his mother to find out and did his best to make sure she never found out about his outside time. But he wasn't careful enough.

Three months after the moblin incident, Yiga came home early to find an empty house and an open window. Enraged, thinking he had left for good, she tracked him down, determined to drag him back for a lesson. She found the house, and pained cries were coming from one of the rooms. Mama was in labor with Link's sister and Papa had sent Link to get the doctor at the nearby horse stable with their only horse. Ganon and Papa were doing their best to make Mama comfortable and Mama had been in labor for well over an hour. Ganon had sent Tatl to find more fairies to help with Mama's delivery when he sensed her, familiar with her hostile presence. Papa felt it next, but he hit the ground before he could do anything about this new threat with a knife in his heart. Mama didn't have time to react, focused on a contraction she didn't notice until her throat was slashed, choking and within minutes, she bled out. Ganon horrified face refused to believe the abrupt ending of his parent figures and didn't realize his mother was choking him until she blocked his view of their corpses.

"So they're the reason you've been questioning and defying me? You have been sneaking out to learn garbage from two people that were trying to brainwash you into someone you're not meant to be! I am going to have to teach you a lesson." And with those ominous words, she dragged him out of the house, grabbed a burning stick from the fire pit, and set the house on fire, letting Ganon watch it burn. Ganon shook as he watched his true home light up in flames, unable to stop his tears from overflowing down his face.

"Oh? Showing weakness. I guess I didn't teach you as well as I thought. Let this be a lesson to you, don't form any fond attachment towards anyone. All it will do is bring you pain and cause liability. They hold you back from accomplishing what you need to do." Yiga snarled as she held Ganon's head in place, forcing him to watch his home be consumed with Yiga's rage. The string of Papa's bow snapped, dragging Ganon's eyes to the side of the house where Papa had laid his weapon in haste to help his laboring wife. Harsh sobs tore from his throat, not wanting to believe this moment was real and Mama and Papa were gone. Through his grieving, Ganon heard the pounding of hooves and panic seized him, wondering if his mother was going to kill the new arrivals, but he was hit in his neck and his world faded to black.

Ganon woke up with a splitting headache and and burning eyes as he slowly adjusted to the low light. A sharp pain exploded on his ribcage, amplifying his migraine and flinging him into the wall. A high pitched tone grated against his ear as he hacked, trying to breath air back in his lungs. Long nails dug into his scalp and forced his head up, pulling on his neck and dragging the rest of his body up. His mother's furious face filled his vision as his ears rang, unable to catch her frenzied speech. Disgust crossed her face as she released his head, letting him crumble on the ground. His arm jerked as she grabbed him and dragged him to the wall opposite of the window, letting his head knocked against the stool. His vision darkened and tunneled as he slumped, his hand dropping to the ground. The door slammed, his migraine intensifying, and he curled up, gripping his head. His right hand caught before he could reach his head. Confused, he pulled his hand towards him and it wouldn't move any closer to him. It took him an embarrassing long time to figure out that his mother had chained him to the wall from a shackle as she'd always threatened him. Panic seized Ganon as he tugged harder on the chain, hoping it'd release or be a dream. As his vision swam, sharp prickles of pain erupted from his wrist as his skin chafed. Blood dripped down his hand as he shook and grimly accepted his current fate. Memories from before he was knocked out flooded his mind and a strangled cry escaped his throat as his vision once more faded to black.

Anger muttering greeting Ganon as waves of pain raked his injuries. He forced his body to remain still and his breathing even as his hearing cleared and his mother's and a stranger's voice entered his ears.

"What do you mean some of them have defected? Who would dare to leave right as we're finishing constructing the Hideout?" She hissed.

"We didn't see it coming. They were acting like they shared the same goals we did and right after you left, they vanished. There could be the possibility that Urbosa found them but there was no sign of a struggle and all their belongings were packed." The stranger, a male, whispered back.

"So we have traitors. How infuriating. I still have to punish Ganon for thinking it was okay to escape." Ganon heard her teeth clench and grind.

"If I may make a suggestion, Ganondorf will always be here for you to teach him his lesson but the traitors will have found a safe haven and be untouchable unless you want to draw attention towards the Yiga Clan. It will be harder to track them down unless we act in haste and capture them before they run too far." He advised.

"I know that and his name is Ganon." Yiga snapped.

"Of course Master Yiga." He said as silence fell with Ganon struggling to stay still, praying his mother left so he'd be left to recover.

"I'll leave tonight. There are some things I need to impart to Ganon before I leave and those traitors will not know what hit them. I want you to watch the house and make sure Ganon does not leave. He has no reason to leave, but with this latest stunt, I don't know what he'll do."

"Yes Master." A poof accompanied his words and Ganon heard footsteps walking towards him.

"You've slept long enough, get up." Her words followed a kick to his ribs. A moan tore from his lips before he could prevent it, curling his body to futile protect his ribs.

"I taught you better than this. Showing pain means showing weakness and weakness is something your enemies will use against you. It's a useless human emotion that needs to be beaten out of you." Ganon morphed his face into a mask of indifference and creaked his eyes open. There was an hour of sunlight left before Yiga had to leave and he knew torment awaited him.

"Everything I've done for you and this is how you thank me? By running off to some _Hylian_ home and letting them corrupt your mind? They've changed you and now all my forming and teaching is going to waste! I've already told you how others are going to see you, since you are a male Gerudo. Every male Gerudo in the past has been at war with Hyrule and caused chaos and destruction. Do you really think that they would treat you any different?" Yiga fumed.

"They didn't treat me different." Ganon grounded out as a sliver of doubt pushed against him.

"They didn't did they? And how do you know that. The Hylians are trained to act a certain way. They feared you. I'm willing to bet that the man wasn't always at the house correct?" Yiga sneered, stalking in front of him.

"He had to go to the stable to get supplies." Ganon countered.

"Is that the excuse he used? He had to get supplies? More like he was spreading information to the king of Hyrule about your existence and finding out what the king wanted him to do. That man was a former knight, I saw his armory. Why would a knight be in the middle of nowhere and happen to come across you, the first male Gerudo is centuries, and treat you like you were worth of being called human?" Ganon attempted to refute her logic, but she plowed on, "Nobody respects the Gerudo. They were waiting to make their move and it was up to me to save you from being captured and imprisoned. They would have sooner killed you than take any chance at finding out if you would oppose them or not. It's your fate to fight against these corrupted souls. Did I not tell you about the previous Gerudo Kings? All they wanted was food and trade to save their people from extinction and they were rewarded with being betrayed and killed, leaving their people to starve in the desert. Those so called just and peaceful Hylian rulers have condemned an entire race to be killed because we had to become thieves to live. When our Kings fought back, to try and forcefully take over for the sake of our people, they were stopped and killed, not given a trail or even asked why they did what they did. Hyrule is full of corrupt Hylians that thrive off of stereotypes and injustice. Those people you were with were plotting to capture you and send you off the castle as soon as they had an opportunity too. Knights are trained to treat people like you as they would anyone else, but they are wanting to kill you as soon as possible. You see this scar? It was given to me by a Hylian knight when I was buying food from a town. He attacked me for being Gerudo like the bias jerk he was," Yiga lifted her pant leg and Ganon saw a jagged scar run from her thigh to her ankle, "They are cruel people and we need to be even crueler if we want to survive in this world. I am teaching you life skills so you stay alive and won't die by not having knowledge about these things. Think about what I've said." With those jarring words, Yiga packed up her clothes and food, barred the window and exited the hut, placing a wooden beam across the front. Ganon lay on the floor, struggling to push his doubt away, wanting to believe that Mama and Papa were treating him like their son because that's how they truly felt about him. The doubt refused to be brushed aside and it engulfed him, thoughts swirling around his head, making him feel dizzy.

"_What if mother said the truth? Papa was gone for long periods of time and who knows how often he left when I wasn't around. But I did come at random periods and he was surprised, but always welcomed me. Mother taught me to catch when someone is lying to me and none of the signs were in Papa. But she also said knights were trained for this type of thing. Mama wasn't trained to be a knight and she treated me the same she did with Link but she was trained by the Sheikah. Link! What happened to him? Is he alright? Did mother kill him as well? There was no way Link could have been apart of their plans because he's too young and can't control his expressions. Even I couldn't control my expressions when I was his age. What would he think of me now that I've caused the death of his parents? He'd hate me for sure. Maybe I shouldn't try to escape. There'd be no point because Mama and Papa are dead, Link's most likely dead, and even if he's not he'd hate me. I'm the reason they died. If only I was strong enough to stay away from them, then mother wouldn't have found out about them and they'd still be one happy family with Link having a little sister. I have to get stronger."_ Even as he thought this, an overwhelming need to see Link unhurt and safe overcame him, worry for his brother consuming him. Battling between his guilt and worry for Link, Tatl, and himself caused the night and day to pass in excruciating slowness as hunger and thirst joined in enveloping his thoughts. He heard movement outside his house and a stab of dread jolted him out of his thoughts. As he listened carefully, he heard the wooden bar blocking the door get removed and he sat up, determined to mask his feelings. A shadowed figure blocked the fading light, but Ganon knew this was a man and not his mother. Ganon grabbed the blade hidden under the mattress and shakily stood up, getting in a defensive stance, cursing the shackle around his wrist.

"Calm yourself, I'm not here to hurt you." He spoke, walking further into the cottage. Ganon didn't move, observing the man. He walked like a warrior with a steady gait and a sword and shield strapped behind his back. With the setting sun streaming in from the door, Ganon was unable to make out any define features but it looks like he's carrying a basket. The man places the basket on the floor and slides it within grabbing reach of Ganon. Ganon doesn't budge, even as he twitches at the aroma's wafting up from the basket and he heard the sloshing of water.

"Impressive. You didn't reach for it even though you were hungry because I was still in the room. And she says you don't retain anything she says. Enjoy the food." The man bowed slightly before exiting, shutting the door and rebolting it. Ganon waited until his footsteps disappeared before collapsing to the ground and reaching for the basket. Too hungry to worry about poison or drugs in the food, he dug in, choking as he tried to eat as much as he could. Restraining himself slightly, he drank a cup of water to soothe his throat, then ate the food available to him. His stomach was uncomfortably full when he finished as night fell, but energy flows through his body as time passed. He was stiff from lying in the same position for a day and strove to move around. He glanced at the shackle at his wrist and saw dried blood encasing it. He examined the shackle and noticed it seemed a little too big to be on his wrist so he experimented with pulling on his shackle and seeing if he could pull his hand from it. For several minutes, he twisted his hand and managed to pull the manicule to his knuckles before he heard the sound of hushed footsteps outside and the gentle clanking of armor. There were more than ten pairs of footsteps and Ganon redoubled his struggle in releasing his hand. He pulled at the shackle with his one hand and scrapped the skin off the back of his hand to free his trapped limb. Ganon rose quickly, staggering towards his secret exit and slid the panel close as the front door burst open accompanied by crashing and upturning of furniture. Harsh curses and frustrated murmuring were drowned out by his pounding heart, afraid the intruders were going to hear him. Shouting occurred and above the noise, he hears a smooth voice order,

"Burn the house. If she's still hiding in here, the smoke will force her out." Ganon panicked and as the intruders exited his house, he shuffled lower to a small tunnel and crawled through the muddy ground. He'd created two tunnels, one that led directly outside and another went under the pond, behind a tree stump. He heard the crackle of fire and memories of Link's parents paralyzed him, his limbs refusing to move, his breathing sped up and his body started to shake.

"Ganon!" A small voice to his left caused him to jerk as Tatl appeared. Blinking stupidly, he stared at her as she quickly fussed over him and healed his wounds to allow him to move swifter. Rattling his head, he forced his limbs to move as he gasps for breath, constantly reminding himself that his house is burning, not Link's as Tatl flew next to him, her questions unheard. His body weakly dragged through the tunnel and when he reached the end, he tried several times to pull himself up before he succeeded. He's sheltered by the tree stump and as his breathing became less eretic, he peered behind the stump and was shocked out of his panic at seeing tall, tanned, red haired women standing a safe distance from the house as it started to burn fiercely. One of the women caught his attention, instinctively knowing her to be the leader by her stance and an air of confidence. Her voluminous hair was thicker than her soldiers and she carried a deadly scimitar rather than a spear with a jewel covered shield on her hip. Ganon hid behind the stump, awed by her presence that his mother would never match.

"We have to move." Tatl whispered. Ganon nodded in agreement when an authoritative voice rang out.

"Search the area. Yiga could still be around hiding. Check the high ground first." The leader ordered and Ganon heard a chorus of "Yes Ma'am." The panic feeling returned as he heard her soldiers fan out and several walk towards him. As the splashes came closer, Ganon realized that his only option may be to run. He braced himself against the stump and readied himself to run as fast as he could, hoping he could outrun the soldiers in their armor when one of them cried out,

"Look at that!"

**A/N: I have to say that the second chapter (The Parents) was one of my favorites to write. I adore lore and creating it and I wish LoZ had more solid lore but sadly it does not. Please tell me what you think. R&R.**


	6. Chapter 5: The Reunion

Ganon whipped his head to the side, terrified he'd been caught before he could run and his eyes were drawn upwards as Dinraal, the red dragon, soared above the clearing. He watched in awe as the dragon circled, letting out a mournful keel, heading in the direction of Satori's Mountain. Exclamations of disbelief sound out as the bright Farosh and the graceful Naydra join Dinraal in circling the mountain.

Ganon's awed trance was cut short as sharp claws grip his arms from behind and lifted him into the sky. Sucking in a breath of terror, he refused to shout out and announce his presence to the warriors down below, futilely attempting to latch onto the talons carrying him skyward. Glancing up, he saw the giant bird of legend, a loftwing, had him in its clutches and it circled the base of the mountain, dropping him off on his behind in a nearby meadow at the foot of the mountain. The bird landed several feet from him and cooed softly as Ganon shuffled away, scraping more of his injuries. His back hit something soft and he froze as a gently woof greeted him. Glancing up, he met the soft eyes of the golden Guardian Wolf and didn't know how to react to being surrounded by two great predators. The wolf gently nudged him and move back causing Ganon to almost lose his balance.

The bird trilled at him as it took to the skies, joining the three dragons in circling the glowing mountain. The wolf looked back and nodded his huge head up the mountain path, walking a few paces before looking back at Ganon. Ganon shook his head, not wanting to follow an animal that easily took down a giant boar. The golden wolf turned around and nodded his head in the direction of the mountain once more. Ganon shook his head as he took a step back, wondering if the wolf was trying to lead him towards his den. Tatl caught up to Ganon and observed the situation.

"He wants you to follow him." Tatl said. Ganon shook his head venomously.

"Why not?" She questioned.

"He'll kill me." Ganon whispered. Tatl's glow softened as she flew in front of his face.

"You trust me right?" She inquired. Ganon stared at her, face twitching in exhausted turmoil. Shakely he nodded his head.

"Then please trust me when I say that he's not going to kill you. He's going to lead you where you will be safe. He's a dear friend of mine and I'd trust him with my life." Tatl coaxed. Ganon's face twisted in indiscision, but the sound of armor and weapons rattling accompanied by shouts prompted him to jump and scurry towards the wolf, hopefully choosing the lesser of two evils. Tatl gently landed on his shoulder in a silent show of support as he followed the wolf, glancing at the three dragons circling the mountain and realizing they were headed straight towards the enormous beasts.

Tears of frustration and uncertainty filled his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, closing his eyes as the toll of the past few days bore down on him. His mother slayed his adopted family before his eyes, he had no clue what happened to Link, Yiga chained him to a wall leaving him alone, his house burned down by warrior women, a loftwing carried him here, he was following a golden wolf up a steep mountain, and he headed towards dragons that were massive, sparking electricity, fire, and ice on anyone who got too close. Weariness dragged on his limbs, clouding his mind, and he wanted to sleep for the next week. A gentle bark jerked his eyes back open and when his vision stopped swarming, he found himself staring at the Guardian Wolf in the eyes. Too worn to react in fear, he held up his hand and stroked the wolf's soft head as a small laugh bubbled up. He laughed deliriously at himself for being so scared of this soft animal and maybe he would let him cuddle him. Ganon bet that the wolf would make a wonderful pillow.

A sharp nudge broke through his hazy mind and he sluggishly focused back on the wolf as the wolf nudged him on his wide back. Ganon stumbled on his back and gripped the fur as the wolf stood up and trotted the rest of the way up the mountain, walking underneath the dragons. Ganon's vision bleared as he struggled to stay awake and his limbs became dead weight. He heard Tatl explain to him that she couldn't heal his wounds with his energy levels so low without risking hurting him further. The rocking of the wolf made it difficult to hold on and when he thought he couldn't hold on for much longer, the wolf stopped. Ganon forced his weary head to rise and he couldn't understand what he saw. There stood a glowing animal surrounded by glowing bunnies with owl faces and strange leaf like antennes raising out of their heads. The creature had a body of a deer and two owl shaped faces and seemed to be conversing with the three dragons overhead. Ganon rubbed his eyes several times before looking upon the strange scene to find it hadn't change. As he wondered if he'd finally gone crazy, the wolf nudged him off, forcing him to stand on his feet again.

"Ganon!" A cry called out and he barely had time to look to his left before something small slammed into him, causing him to fall on the wolf and they collapsed in a pile. Stars swam in his vision as his injuries were jostled and the breath knocked out of him. When the ringing in his ears faded, he heard babbling and saw a tuft of blond hair blocking his vision.

"Link?" He questioned in disbelief. Link's head shot up and tears were pouring down his face.

"Of course it's me! Who else would it be? I thought you were dead! I came back with the doctor and our house was on fire and I ran inside to find them, but I was grabbed by Shadow and carried up here-"

"Who's Shadow?" Ganon's awareness peaked at an unfamiliar name and at the memory of an unnamed man that gave him food.

"Shadow's like the Guardian Wolf but darker and he blends into the darkness really well." Link explained. Ganon blinked at Link's bizarre explanation, unable to follow his logic. Soft movement under him had him looking to his right and he saw a massive dark brown wolf nosing the golden wolf, who had broken his fall.

"Ganon, this is Shadow. He saved me from being crushed when a beam almost fell on me. And I'm calling the Guardian Wolf Golden and the bird that is circling with the dragons is Loft. I think there's another wolf in the corner, the cream colored one, and I'm naming him Scar. because the red on his face looks like a scar." Link introduced. Ganon nodded absentmindedly and watched as Shadow plopped down on his left and lay his head on Golden's neck. Before he could look for the tan colored wolf, the hair on his arms and neck stood up when he heard the clip-clop of hooves approach him. Glancing up, he shrunk into Golden's fur as the Lord of the Mountain looked down on him with the three dragons behind him.

"Fear not, I did not have you guided here to harm you. It is not your time to leave this earth and you have been brought here to be given a blessing. There will be many difficult trials ahead of you and your journey will not be easy. The choices you make will define who you are going to become and I pray you choose the heroic path. Everything will seem to be against you if you choose this path, but the reward will be many times greater then the seemingly easier path. The choice is ultimately yours. There is a foreboding feeling about your destiny and I have an inkling as to what it may be. But no matter. The dragons have graciously agreed to cast a protection on you, but this protection is not foolproof. If you come in contact with a curse, you will not be immediately consumed by the curse but if enough time passes, it will possess you. If this ever comes to pass, seek out the dragons to strengthen the protection and wash the curse away. For now, the dragons will breath on you here, with Link, Golden, Shadow, Loft, and Scar to bless and guide you for your journey." When the Lord of the Mountain finished speaking, a colossal cream colored wolf, a head taller then Shadow and Golden, with red markings rose from behind the Lord and settled to Ganon's right as an enormous scarlet colored bird descended from the sky to land behind them.

The dragons shifted behind the Lord of the Mountain as Dinraal rear his head and an ash scented hot gust washed over the group of six. Naydra took his place to breathed in and exhaled a cool, refreshing breeze to envelope the small crowd. Farosh replaced her and blew out a moist burst of air, coating company with his vapor. All three dragons once more exhaled on the group at the same time before rising and circling the mountain once more to keep out anyone who was curious enough to investigate. Exhaustion dragged Ganon's eyelids closed and warmth surrounded him, pulling him further into sleep. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer and he sunk into Golden's soft fur, letting sleep take him.

"Ganon? Ganon!" Apprehension coarsed through Link when Ganon became limp and unresponsive.

"Do not fear little one. He is merely sleeping. Since the fire, he has gone through harsh treatment and overwhelming emotions, unable to sleep." The Lord of the Mountain approached the small group.

"I need Papa. He'll know what to do, he always does. Can you tell me where he is? Or Mama. I need them!" Link pleaded, tears cascading down his face.

"I have many wondrous powers, but even I can not bring back those who have gone off to a better place. They are happy where they are and at the end of your life, you will join them in the heavenly banquet if you live your life in a way that would make them proud." Shadow rose and moved towards Link, allowing him to throw his arms around his neck and sob into his fur.

"But I want to see them now. I miss them and want Mama to hold me." Link gasped out, tightening his hold on Shadow.

"All in good time. Allow your grief to flow over losing them. It will take time before the grief fades, but accept it when it comes and do not let it overpower you. Trying to bottle up emotions will lead to disastrous results. Now sleep little one and rest from your worries. Tackle your problems tomorrow." The Lord of the Mountain gently touched Link with his hoof, causing Link to bonelessly collapse against Shadow, deep in sleep. Scar, Loft, Shadow, and Golden stared at the lord, awaiting his words.

"There is much to protect these two warriors from. Demise will stop at nothing to seek the destruction of them, but he may try to lure Ganon to his side as he has done with previous Gerudo males. Golden and Scar, I am entrusting Ganon in your care, watch over him and help him know he is not alone. Loft and Shadow, protect Link with all your might and power and teach him the Hero's way. I fear Demise has something planned that will result in grave peril and will catch us unawares. Guide these two as best you can and if you have no other choice, you are allowed to transform," The three wolves and the loftwing nodded, "Good. I give you an extra blessing. You will be able to feel the strong emotions of Ganon and Link and be connected to them but they won't be able to hear or communicate with you unless they wish it. They will have to trust you for you to have a deeper connection with them and if they so choose, they can cut off the connection. You will always be able to know where they are regardless if they trust you or not." The lord breathed over them and each animal shook his head, getting use to the connection.

"I will leave your charges in your care. Support them, give them hope, and let them know they are not alone in this vast world. Tatl, please inform Navi when she arrives that she doesn't have to stay away from Link anymore. Both of you guide these young men on their journey." Tatl nodded as the Lord of the Mountain glowed brighter and vanished, causing the blue haze that surrounded the mountain to fade as the sun began to rise, the dragons taking off to watch over their respective region, leaving the guardians and Tatl behind to watch over Ganon and Link.

**(A/N: I know it's shorter than the other chapters but it felt like a perfect ending spot and I couldn't figure out how to make it longer without feeling like I was dragging it through the mud so yeah.)**


	7. Chapter 6: The Struggle

_**Chapter Six: The Struggle**_

Consistent chattering pulled Ganon's consciousness from the gentle, comforting embrace of sleep. Not willing to acknowledge what awaited him when he opened his eyes, he stayed limp and kept his breathing even, enjoying his warm bed and relaxed muscles. His eyes sprung open when his bed moved and a soft muzzle ghosted over his hand. He blinked several times, unsure if the huge, cream colored wolf blocking out the rising sun was real or if he was still trapped in a dream. Ganon broke his staring contest with the wolf when he was nudged on his shoulder. Looking to the side, he blinked again, gazing into the red eyes of the Guardian Wolf.

"Ganon you're awake!" Link shouted and, pushing the gigantic wolf out of the way, launched himself at Ganon. He managed to catch his waist, but was unable to stop Link's momentum as he crashed into him. Ganon waited for the blinding pain to accompany the aggressive affection, but it never came. The only uncomfortable feeling he experienced was Link's knee digging into his inner thigh.

"I was so worried. I had to find something to do all day and no matter what I did to you, you wouldn't wake up! Navi told me you were sleeping and would wake up but not soon because you're body was recovering from healing from your wounds!" Link hugged Ganon tighter before hopping off of him, "But I'm glad you're awake now. Shadow was saying that there have been women warriors sniffing about and the only reason they haven't investigated up here yet was because Lordy cast some of his magic and that's preventing them from reaching here." Ganon interrupted as Link took a breath to continue.

"Warrior women? Who's Lordy? Wait, Shadow talks?" Ganon blamed his sleep-addled mind for his uncomprehension.

"The big, dark, red haired warrior women. They were frightening but they couldn't climb past the shrine. And Lordy is Lordy. The Lord of the Mountain is too much to say so he's Lordy. And Loft talks to me too." Link gestured to the side, pointing to gray wolf and scarlet loftwing over his shoulder. Dark blue and auburn eyes stared back at Ganon as he started wondering if every wolf he came across was going to be friendly. Unlikely considering he had only met three wolves and he'd heard plenty of horrifying stories from his mother about disembowelment from those creatures, but still. The three wolves he's met have been placid and calm. He glanced to his left and stared in astonishment as the gigantic wolf sedately finished his stretch. Link, noticing his stare, voiced,

"Oh, that's Scar. He's huge and could easily carry your weight. I can't hear his voice, but that doesn't mean I haven't tried. It's the same with Golden." He was cut off as a blue fairy flew in front of Link, distracting him from Ganon. The way she bounced around Link's head had Ganon thinking she was scolding Link, especially when Link pouted.

"Ganon!" A small voice broke through his musings as an amber light darted towards him and buzzed around his body. A soft sigh of relief escaped her when she finished her examination.

"You're completely healed without any scars. That Lord of the Mountain must have incredible healing magic because even I would have trouble healing all your wounds. He even healed your organs. He's amazing," Tatl fluttered to his shoulder, "I'm sorry I couldn't be much help against your mother. I didn't want to get you in more trouble but I couldn't find the right time to fly in and help you with her watching you as she did."

"That's fine. She gave you no opportunity to help me and even if you did, she'd find out and kill you." Ganon replied flat voiced. A huff from Golden and Scar shook him out of his self-deprecation as Golden nudged him up. Ganon shifted and stood as Golden followed, shaking out his fur and relaxing into a stretch.

"_What now? We're stuck on a mountain and could run into those warrior women if we tried to leave. We're surrounded by wolves so if we did go down, the warrior woman would probably avoid us. Wait, will the wolves go down the mountain with us? Does Mother know where I am? Does she think I'm dead? No, she'll know I'm alive and will hunt me down. I can't be traveling with Link because she'll use him against me. I have to bring him to safety and leave him there. But where is safe? I don't know anyone except for Link so maybe he'd be the most safe traveling with me until we can find an area that Mother doesn't know about. But where would Mother never dare to go?" _Ganon gripped his hair, his face hardening in concentration.

"Ganon?" Link's soft voice dragged him back to reality.

"Yes?" He questioned.

"Are you okay? Your face was all scrunchie and you looked mad." Link's finger poked between Ganon's forehead. The tension receded from Ganon's face, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Just thinking too much. There doesn't seem to be any food here so we should move. I don't know if my mother knows if I'm alive or not, but let's assume she knows. We need to move and find a place that she'd never look to find either of us." Ganon said.

"What about the warrior women?" Link asked.

"What about them?"

"Why don't we go with them? They seem strong and like they could protect us."

"No. I'm not goin-" Ganon cut himself off as an idea struck him, "_I know that I can't trust the Gerudo warriors. Mother has told me enough horror stories to know what they would do to me but Link should be safe. He's Hylian. They'd get him to safety."_

"You're not?" Link tilted his head.

"I think that's a great idea. Let's follow them and see what they are like. We should have code names as well." Ganon insisted.

"Code names? Cool, let's do it! I'll be Bird and you'll be Wolf!" Link exclaimed.

"Sounds good. Now if the warrior women ask for my name, tell them Wolf was with you. Don't use my real name. I don't understand why but they don't like that name."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Just call me Wolf from now on." Ganon said.

"If you say so. So how are we going to find them? Oh wait, Shadow says he can follow their trail and Loft will fly above us to see if he can spot them," Ganon turned in disbelief to Shadow as Loft took toward the sky, "Shadow says Golden says I can ride him and you can climb on Scar. That way we'll get down the mountain faster and catch up to the women faster." Link made a beeline toward Golden and Ganon's jaw dropped when Golden lowered himself to the ground so Link could climb up.

"Wait Link! Do you think that's safe?" Ganon rushed toward them as Golden stood up again, pulling tiny giggles from Link.

"Of course. Shadow says so." Link nodded.

"Why can you only hear Shadow and Loft?"

"I don't know. Now climb on Scar." Ganon glanced back at the monster wolf and shook his head.

"I'm good. I'll walk down."

"Why? It'll be faster if you ride on Scar. It's not like you haven't rode on a wolf before. You were on Golden's back when you first came up here."

"I'll walk." Ganon growled out.

"If you say so. Golden, you're soft." Link pet Golden as he began moving down the mountain, following Shadow. Ganon started walking behind him with Scar taking up the rear. Unease coursed through Ganon's mind at having his back toward a predator and he jolted in surprise when Scar trotted next to him. His unease lessened as the first hour passed and Scar made no abrupt gesture to attack him.

"Ganon, Scar will not attack you. None of these animals traveling with you will harm you. They are here to protect and guide you." Tatl spoke softly from his shoulder.

"Why would they do that?" Ganon asked, eyebrows raised.

"They're special. I'm sure you know that they are not like normal wolves." Tatl responded.

"The only wolves I've seen besides these three have been dead. How are they special?" Ganon inquired. Tatl's silence caused Ganon to stop and glance at her, unwittingly halting Scar as well.

"Tatl?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it in a way that would make sense. Let's see, they have been blessed by the Lord of the Mountain and the goddesses have charged them with watching over you." Tatl described.

"What? Why would the goddesses do that?"

"Because you'll need their protection." Tatl said.

"I don't need to be protected. I can handle my own battles. I've been alone for as long as I can remember, so why would these 'goddesses' suddenly decided that I need guardians? Where were they when my mother beat me black and blue? Where were they when she threw me off a cliff for training and I broke my legs? Where were they when she killed Mama and Papa? Where were they when Link needed them? Where-"

"Ganon, why'd you stop?" Link's voice cut into Ganon's rant and brought him back to his senses.

"I'm coming," Ganon called out before muttering, "where were they before all of this happened?"

"They weren't needed. If you had been in a life or death situation, they would have protected you like Golden did with the boar. When your mother threw you off a cliff, did you encounter any wild life that lived down there? Your guardians can't be everywhere, but Shadow did protect Link from the burning house and made sure to stay by his side until you arrived up on the mountain. Even if you couldn't see them, they were with you." Tatl spoke. Ganon scoffed as he looked ahead. Silence fell between them, punctured by Link's soft giggles and the patter of the wolves paws on the dirt road. Small details stuck out to him as they continued to traverse downwards. Scar walked between him and any cliff, reducing the chance of him slipping off the mountain. Golden changed his gait to keep Link entertained while Shadow stayed on the cliffs edge side, preventing Link from falling off the ledge. Loft rotated between flying high to keep a birds eye view of their surroundings and flying lower to watch over the group. Several times, Ganon had slipped on the gravel and each time Scar had caught him from falling on his face or his backside. The first time it happened, Ganon had froze in fear with his unease rearing its ugly head. After the fourth time, caused by Ganon being distracted by the wolves and Link in front of him, Ganon accepted that Scar wouldn't hurt him and reluctantly held onto Scar's fur stay balanced.

"Ganon, look how pretty that goat is!" Ganon raised his eyes from the ground and glanced in the direction Link was excitedly pointing towards. A male goat stood on top of a rocky crop, slowly chewing on the grass in his mouth, carefully watching the group from his elevated position.

"It looks like food to me." Ganon muttered, his stomach grumbling. The goat bleeted back and scurried away, out of sight. He shook his head and made to walk away when Scar stepped in front of him, still gazing at the spot the goat disappeared from.

"What are you doing?" Ganon crossed his arms as a crimson shape shot across his peripheral vision. Snapping his head to the right, he caught a glimpse of Loft vanishing above him. There was a short squeal that abruptly cut off before Loft reappeared, the goat held in his talons.

"Loft! Why did you do that? The goat was pretty!" Link complained.

"He did it to get food. Didn't Papa teach you how to skin an animal?" Ganon questioned, stepping back slightly as Loft lowered the carcass at his feet.

"Yes he did," Link's shoulders dropped before he forcefully straightened them, "But he never taught me how to skin a goat. Do you know how to skin one?"

"Yeah, Mo-Yiga taught me how to skin, clean, and cook every type of animal she could find. But I need a knife." Ganon glanced around, hoping to find a sharp enough stone to get the job done.

"Oh!" Link tumbled off Golden's back, narrowly avoiding face planting the ground as he rolled and pushed himself up, "I still have Papa's hunting knife. I thought I lost it but when I woke up, it was in my hand." He pulled out the sheathed knife and proudly displayed it.

"That'll work." Ganon's eyes glittered as he shoved the memories of Papa using the knife to teach him how to properly cut up an animal to use the fur as well as the meat to the back of his mind where he struggled to keep them from overwhelming him. Link once again stooped, gently tracing the sheath's designs as his eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Papa loved this knife. He said that his grandpa made the knife for his papa when he married Papa's mama. Then his papa gave it to Papa when Papa married Mama. He gave this to me when I went to get the doctor saying he knew I would keep it safe and to hurry and return it to him. Ganon, I miss Papa. But he's not coming back. Why can't he come back?" The tears rolled down his face as he clenched the knife. Ganon struggled to hold his own tears back.

"He's gone somewhere we'll follow when our time here is done. It's not like we'll never see him again. We just may not see him for a while." Ganon's jaw tightened.

"Lordy said to not hold my grief inside of me. What did he mean? It's not fair, I want Papa and Mama back." Link choked. Ganon couldn't answer for he didn't know. Shadow walked up to Link and gently nuzzled him, allowing him to throw his arms around him and sob as Loft fluttered around them, Navi pressing herself against his cheek. Scar softly pressed his body against Ganon as Golden nosed Ganon's hands. Ganon resisted briefly to the comfort before his grief forcefully shouldered its way to the front of his mind. Gasping, he fell to his knees and leaned against Scar as Scar lay beside him. Golden rested his head in Ganon's lap, Ganon's hands gripping his fur as each shuddering breath was accompanied by a stream of tears. Tatl set herself in Ganon's hair, gently stroking his red locks.

As Ganon's tears subsided ten minutes later, he hastily wiped his eyes, berating himself for showing weakness.

"You're not weak-" Tatl was cut off as Link spoke.

"Shadow says that tears don't make you weak. It means you've held too much emotion inside for too long so the tears release the emotion. Nothing shameful about that." Link's congested voice was muffled in Shadow's fur.

"It means I wasn't strong enough to deal with pathetic emotions." Ganon snarled, hastily rising when Golden lifted his head, shooing Tatl away. Link sluggishly turned his head to look at Ganon causing Navi to flutter up and land on his shoulder.

"Does that mean Papa wasn't strong? He's cried." Link probed, his weighted gaze locking Ganon in place. Ganon didn't answer as he turned his eyes away, uncomfortable with Link's question, and he saw the goat.

"Never mind. Can you go get firewood to start a fire while I skin the goat?" Ganon asked, holding out his hand for the knife, still avoiding Link's steady eyes. A quiet rustling followed by the knife being placed in his hand informed Ganon that Link was dropping the topic for now. Shadow padded after Link as Ganon knelt beside the goat unsheathing the knife, not hungry, but needed something to do with his hands. Just before he walked out of earshot, Link turned around, teeth clenched, and choked out,

"I don't think Papa was weak and I don't think you are either. Mama always said that strength came in different forms for everybody so whatever your mother said was wrong!" And with those parting words, he turned and raced towards the nearest trees to collect fallen branches leaving Ganon to stare after him in shock.

**A/N:**** I keep forgetting about Navi and Tatl. I reread it and go 'oh yeah, I added them as well. Whoopsie.' I hope you enjoyed it and please read and review if you feel like it. Until next time.**


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